I'll Drive
by Obwohl
Summary: Tony and Ziva got caught doing the horizontal tango. Someone will get hurt. I know it's a rubbish summary but I promise the story is way better.
1. I'll Drive

**A/N - I do not own NCIS... at the moment. This is pretty much all smut - you have been warned. Kar - this smut is for you :P**

**Please review, I like to know if my midnights are well spent.**

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Tony gripped the sheets tightly. His perspiration soaked the blankets and pillows and his hands were slippery. He slid his hand smoothly up the woman's thigh, pausing at her buttock. Tony looked up to see her beautifully toned body moving closer to him, pressing him down into the mattress. Her dark hair fell over his face and he breathed in her sweet mysterious scent. Wrapping his arms tightly around her waist he pulled Ziva to his chest and rolled her onto her back. His lips wound their way along the base of her neck and towards her ear.

Ziva held him softly and whispered in his ear.

"Do it."

Her soft middle-eastern accent rolled of her tongue and rippled through Tony's body. She breathed out and tickled his ear. He pushed himself up for a moment and examined her. She was so in control, like always, but it was an incredible new feeling for Tony, being told what to do in bed. He smiled mischievously at her, and she returned it with a tiny shake of her hair and a tiny pout on her lips. Ziva lifted her face towards his, and his to hers and their lips met. Their tongues played around each others as they fell back into the pillows.

_Brrrrrr, brrrrr. Brrrrrr, brrrrrr._

One of the phones on the bedside table flashed and rang. Ziva rolled Tony under her and pulled the sheet with her, covering her bare chest. She flicked her hair over one shoulder and leant over Tony's face to reach the cell phone. He watched intently as her breasts passed so close to his lips. Ziva put her hand lightly over his mouth and looked at the caller id.

_McGee_, she mouthed, her eyes widening slightly with worry. She sat back on her knees, one leg on either side of Tony's waist.

She flipped the cell open and pushed the green button.

"McGee,"

"Ziva? Is that you?" Tony's hands traced around her thigh as he watched her intently.

"Yes McGee, who else would it be?" She scrunched her face in annoyance at her fun being interrupted by him.

"Well, I thought I dialled Tony's cell."

Her face dropped. Tony froze, his hands clasped lightly on her hips.

"Oh, yes McGee. Tony is in the bathroom." She shrugged as she stammered to find an excuse. To her it sounded like the most obvious lie, but to any one but her it sounded like the truth. Tony rolled his eyes and dropped his arms by his side.

_What? _She mouthed angrily as she put her hand over the receiver.

_In the bathroom? You're an international agent trained in counter intelligence, and that's the best lie you can come up with? _He whispered back.

She glared at him and clenched her legs tightly, crushing Tony's body between them. He silently howled in pain.

"Tony was taking me to a film which he insisted I could not live with out seeing. I did not like it. My Name Is Somebody."

Tony grabbed the cell phone and covered the microphone, his face suddenly serious and slightly frustrated.

"Nobody. My Name Is Nobody." He whispered fiercely to her. Ziva pushed him roughly away and shook the cell phone from his grip.

"Right…" McGee always tuned out when it came to Tony and his movies. "There's a John Doe down in Virginia, suspicious circs, wearing navy fatigues, so it's our jurisdiction."

"Right, can you send me the address to my phone? We will meet you there."

She snapped the phone shut and breathed a sigh of relief. Releasing her iron grip on Tony's groin, she flicked her hair to either side of her face and looked down on her colleague. She could feel the warmth of his body through her legs and thighs, and she was very sure that he was conscious of exactly where on his body she was sitting.

Tony twisted the sheet around his hand, pulling it down from her hands, revealing her curves. Ziva completely let go of the material and leaned over him and placed the cell phone back on the night stand. His mouth opened slightly in mild shock at her unabashedness. She looked into his face curiously, slightly confused at his reaction. He knew she did not have the same self consciousness as others.

"We have to go to Virginia." Her beautiful accent ringing down Tony's spine.

"I know, I heard," he said slightly breathlessly. He was staring somewhat crossed eyed at Ziva's chest. His hand crept upwards.

"We have to go," she said dismissively, slapping his hand gently away.

She lifted her leg smoothly over Tony, and lifted herself off the bed. Tony rolled onto his side and watched her walk to the bathroom where her clothes where, pulling her hair back with a hair band. Her honey skin looked so smooth and her body so perfect that Tony ran his tongue over his bottom lip involuntarily.

She disappeared past the door. The sound of the shower taps squeaking into life echoed through the room. Tony threw the sheets off the bed into a messy pile on the floor. He looked around for his pants.

_There you are._ He said to his jeans silently. They were just visible from where he was standing. The bluey grey colour stood out on his red couch, and he pulled them from under the sofa cushion. He grinned as he spied Ziva's blouse on the corner of the coffee table. He stepped into his jeans and buckled up his belt. The hot air from the shower wafted over him and he turned to see the bathroom door still open, and he grabbed Ziva's discarded shirt.

"Do you want this?"

He asked suavely, leaning against the doorway. Ziva turned around and stoped drying herself.

"Yes, thank you."

She marched towards his and snatched it from his finger tips.

"Now out!"

She pushed the wet towel into his face and shoved him out the bathroom, shutting the door in his face.

He took the towel off his face and paused, holding it a little away from him and grinned. He threw it over the back of a chair and went to hunt for a clean shirt, when his phone buzzed.

Tony read the message and snapped the cell phone shut again.

"We're going to the main naval base, Ziva." He called out.

She leaned back around the door, just hiding her body with the door frame.

"I am driving," she smiled.


	2. The Broken Door

**A/N - I don't own NCIS, it belongs to Paramount and other people. **

**This is the most smut I have ever written, and even though it's fun, I'm still not sure if it is what people want to read - so review please and I will act accordingly :D**

Tony waved Gibbs and McGee goodbye as they drove away from the crime scene. The John Doe had been identified as a Wayne Hancock, an ex-Navy Seal. The grounds keeper had been mowing and nearly run over the body, which had been laying under a tree. Duckie had examined the body and suspected that it was a cardiomyopathy, and that he would perform the autopsy later the next day.

"Are you sure that there was no foul play involved, Duckie?" Gibbs had asked.

"Well Jethro, I am sure it would have been a foul experience for the poor man," Duckie replied, about to go off on a tangent, but was stared down by Gibbs.

"But I am quite certain that what happened to Mr. Hancock was an act of his own body."

"Right. Ziva, Tony, McGee – We're leaving. So you can get back you what ever you were doing before." He raised his eyebrows as he looked at Tony. There was something weird about him today. Not as many randomly obvious comments about things. Gibbs shrugged it off. Maybe he was starting to grow up.

"McGee!"

"Yeah, Boss!"

"Make sure Duckie and Palmer get back to NCIS, with out the extra detour they took on the way down."

"Sure thing, Boss." McGee pushed Palmer out from behind the wheel and buckled himself in.

As Tony watched everyone drive away, Ziva pilfered the keys from his back pocket unnoticed. She slipped into the driver's seat and adjusted the mirror. She could see Tony through the back window, and bit her bottom lip. Tony reached for his keys and spun around to see the driver's door slam shut.

He sauntered up to the passenger door and swung it open. His top three button on his slightly too tight shirt were undone, making his toned muscles visible through the material. He jumped into the seat and slipped his sun glasses onto the top of his head off his eyes. Leaning over to Ziva, he placed his hand on her leg and kissed her cheek. Ziva responded quickly by pulling him over the gear shift by the back of his head and kissing him fiercely on the lips, while her other hand slid into Tony's crotch. Tony half stood up and turned around in an attempt to get the hand brake out of his leg. He slipped and sat on the horn, blasting it in the quite morning. Jerking out of Ziva's hold he fell backwards into the foot well at the base of his seat, his feet sticking into the air and his arms flailing about. Ziva began to laugh. Tony frowned at her for a minute, slightly angry at her for getting him into his position, but began to laugh just as hard as she was when he realised how stupid he must look.

"Can I get a hand up?" He managed to gasp.

Ziva took a huge breath in order to compose herself, and then leant over to pull him up.

"Are you ok?" She asked with a big smile.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Or I will be in a while; I got a handbrake in my ass."

He smiled broadly at her. He had never seen her smile like that before.

"What will we do now?" She asked him, her brown eyes shaded by her dark lashes.

"Well… we go could go back to my place?" He suggested playfully.

She smiled in the way she always does when something went her way, with one corner of her mouth pulling further up than the other. Her only reply was turning on the engine and squealing the tyres as she pulled away from the curb.

****

Tony fumbled with his keys.

_Why do I need all these keys? They waste so much time! _He thought desperately. He gave up and kicked the door in, breaking the locks and handle. Ziva pulled him through the doorway and turned him around, slamming him into the door, closing it behind him.

Tony dropped the keys on the floor and kissed her hard, his hands on either side of her face. Ziva stood up on her toes as she kissed him back, her tongue sliding through his lips. She pulled her hair out of its tight bun and threw the band away. Pushing him harder into the door slid her hands up the bottom of his shirt slowly up his stomach. Tony's knees buckled slightly at the feel of her fingers, but straightened up quickly. He grabbed her around the waist and swept her of the floor. Ziva wrapped her legs around his waist and some how managed to stay upright with out holding on with her hands, which were still pulling at Tony's shirt.

They reached the doorway to the bedroom when Ziva loosened her grip and pushed away from his heated body. She fell to the carpeted floor and looked up at Tony. One leg stretched out on the floor between Tony's legs, the other bent up near her chest.

"The bed?" she asked, slightly disappointed. She kicked off her shoes and shuffled closer to Tony's legs. Her hands shot up and pulled at Tony's open shirt, so that he was bending down.

"It is so far away," she whispered mournfully. Suddenly she knocked Tony's legs from underneath him and her fell to the floor. She lay down flat next to him.

"I cannot wait that long."

"Then I won't make you," Tony smiled.

_The floor, why didn't I think of that? _He mentally slapped himself on the back of his head.

He reached his legs out and wrapped them around Ziva's, pulling them closer together. Ziva lifted herself over Tony's body and made him lie so was lying flat on his back. Holding herself up with one arm, she unbuckled his belt, his button, and his fly. She lowered her body so their chests just touched. Tony slid his hands from her shoulders to her waist, searching for her belt buckle. Once he had managed to undo it, he slipped her trousers down from her waist as far as he could reach, and she kicked them off completely. They rolled over and hit a table, making some books and Ziva's bag fall off. With Tony off the ground Ziva could finally remove his shirt. She pulled it off and flung it over her head. His jeans followed. She stroked his smooth chest from his breast-plate down to his navel, and torturously slowly further. Tony shook with anticipation. His arms turned to jelly and he fell to one side, rolling the pair yet again. He landed on some of the things that had fallen from the table, but pushed the discomfort from his mind.

Ziva took her hands away from his skin and her lips away from his face. Watching intently, Tony breathed shallow breaths, and watched Ziva slip her blouse over her head for the second time in as many days. Her dark hair fell messily over her chest, hiding her skin as she lowered arms to remove the next layer. With one leg astride Tony's waist, they were almost in the same position as that morning. Ziva leant into Tony's chest slowly, and nestled her head in between his neck and shoulder.

"I am yours," she whispered into his ear. Tony felt her hand move along the side of her body to underwear.

"Then let me take you," he murmured back. He shifted his shoulder off the uncomfortable thing he was lying on. Another item of clothing flew over Ziva's head.

The next few minutes were a whirlwind of hands touching skin, exploring lips and sensual moans. The warmth of their bodies was so hot compared to the cool air that steam began to rise from their skin. Tony moved his hand slowly from her lower back, over her buttocks and between Ziva's legs and she let out a short cry of pleasure.

"Ziva?"

The pair froze. Hands and tongues stopped their movements. That voice was neither of theirs, and if they had been too loud the neighbours would have yelled at Tony to shut up.

"Ziva? What's going on? Are you ok?"

Tony turned his head and the discomfort in his back returned to his consciousness. He sat up, holding Ziva close. Underneath him was Ziva's cell phone, and on the screen was the display of five minutes call duration – with McGee on the other end.

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	3. Exposure

**Sorry it has taken a while to get this updated - end of school exams are nearly over so I will get faster. The story is about to get more interesting, I promise, after this chapter though. Please review - I'd like to know if it is worth making this longer or just leave it as smut. **

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The elevator doors opened with a quiet bong. To Ziva it seemed like the loudest sound in the world, announcing her arrival, when all she wanted was to creep to her desk unnoticed. Each time her foot hit the carpet she could hear each fibre crunch under her weight. She cringed as she turned the corner. McGee was sitting at his desk and Gibbs was standing at the plasma screen. She tried in vain to stop the blood rushing to her cheeks as she walked into the bullpen.

She ducked behind her desk and buried her head in the filing cabinet, and tried to make herself look busy. In the reflection of the steel cabinet she could see McGee looking over at her and speaking to Gibbs at the same time.

_He is thinking about it right now. He knows what he was listening to. _

Tony's reflection suddenly replaced McGee's. Sitting bolt upright Ziva slammed the drawer shut.

"Nice of you to join us, DiNozzo," Gibbs said, not taking his eyes off the screen. He was examining a map closely, and when Tony approached him McGee snapped the power to the screen off. Gibbs turned around and shot a look at Tony.

Tony shifted uncomfortably in his shoes. He recognised that look. It was the look that Gibbs gave him when he was too angry at him to slap him in the head. When he was so disappointed in the choice that Tony had made that he could only express with his eyes. It reminded Tony of what parent's do, when their child does something wrong.

_Instead of getting angry and shout, they say nothing and just look at you. Like you have injured them so deep, it's irreversible. _Tony thought, his brain ticking into gear.

_Crap. I broke rule number 12. And he knows._

Tony gulped.

"Dinozzo! Come with me," Gibbs ordered as he walked away.

"On your six, Boss." Tony replied in what he hoped sounded enthusiastic and clueless.

They rounded the corner of the stair case and Gibbs slammed the younger agent into the orange wall. Tony grimaced.

"You think breaking my rules is funny, DiNozzo?" Gibbs whispered harshly, his fists digging into Tony's collarbone and held him slightly off the floor. Tony's face fell and he tried to get some air back into his lungs.

"No, Boss," he gasped.

Gibbs pulled his hands away and dropped Tony to the floor. Bending his knees and rubbing his collarbone, he looked up at Gibbs.

"Look, Boss…" Tony spluttered.

"No." Gibbs stabbed him in the chest with his finger. "I don't want excuses."

Tony backed up against the wall again; looking at Gibbs' finger like it was a gun being brandished.

"Tony, need I remind you she is a Mossad agent? If you treat her like you do every other woman, she, and just about every other Israeli assassin, will kill you. The torture scenes you watch in movies; wouldn't even cover what they learn in Kindergarten."

"Yeah, Boss. I realise that."

"And, if for some reason she _doesn't _kill you, it will make things _really _awkward with the rest of the team. Is that what you want?"

"Gibbs, I don't want to treat her like the others. She is nothing like the other ones."

"Damn straight, Tony." He emphasised what he said by stabbing Tony in the chest roughly. "I don't want to see either of you messed up over it if it doesn't work out. Keep it separate, DiNozzo."

"Will do, Boss."

Gibbs removed his finger and tipped his head to the side, indicating that Tony should leave. Tony straightened his shirt and warily walked past Gibbs. As he turned his head away from his boss Tony received a sharp slap on the back of his head.

"That's for breaking rule twelve." Gibbs snapped as Tony swung around. Tony bit his lip.

"How did you, uh, know, Boss?"

"Ever heard of a conference call, Tony?" Tony's eye's widened, and he grimaced.

"Well, uh, I have…" Tony stuttered.

"Hypothetical question, DiNozzo!" Gibbs shook his head and walked away, cursing under his breath.

Tony breathed a sigh of relief and returned to the bullpen. He winked reassuringly at Ziva as he passed and sat down in his chair. McGee watched his partners, amused by their behaviour. Ziva had been mindlessly ripping a tissue to pieces, something he had never seen her do before.

_Mind you, Ziva has been doing a couple of new things lately, I suppose. _McGee mused. He chuckled to himself as he continued to type away.

"What's the joke, funny man?" Tony asked, throwing a tiny piece of scrunched up paper is his colleague.

"Ahh, nothing Tony." McGee pressed his lips together suppressing a laugh.

"Ah McGeek thinks he knows things." He shook head and leant over his desk to look at Ziva more closely. Ziva frowned at him, not understanding at all what his motives were.

"Tony, we all heard." Ziva closed her eyes and hid her face in her hands.

_All of them, they all heard. _She told herself.

"Who's 'we', McGee?"

"Only me, Gibbs, Palmer, Abby and Duckie." McGee said smugly.

Tony snorted. _Thank god. I thought it could've been half the Navy. _

"McGee, this situation doesn't bother me." McGee looked away from his computer and Ziva dropped her hands away from her face.

"Why?" They asked at the same time, making Tony laugh out loud.

"Because, frankly, Palmer can't really talk – He and Agent Lee, need I say more. Abby – she would think this is cute, Duckie – he would just add this to my already interesting psych file."

McGee nodded at each reason, and agreed with Tony on all counts.

"But what about me and Gibbs?"

Tony leaned back in his chair and stuck his hands behind his head.

"Well, secrets gotta come out sometime."

Ziva was confused. _Is that all he thinks of this? A dirty secret?_

Tony reached into his desk drawer and plucked out a tiny bag of popcorn. The packet crackled loudly as he snapped it open, and tossed a piece into his mouth. He crunched for a moment, lost in thought.

"Why'd you do it, Tony?"

"Do what, Probie?" Tony replied annoyingly, tossing another corn into his mouth. "Have sex with Ziva?"

Ziva blushed and buried her face in her hands again. McGee looked slightly abashed. He knew Tony was blunt and crude, but _that _blunt and crude?

"Well, yeah," McGee frowned.

_Was this a trick? Was Tony about to leap over the desk and kill him? Was Ziva?_

"Cos I love her," Tony said happily, turning his head to see Ziva's reaction. He couldn't see her smile behind her hands, but he saw her shoulders relax, and her fingers loosen.

For a second he thought he was daydreaming, reminiscing about last night and the night before, but when he looked over at a Cheshire-grinning McGee he figured that he wasn't.

Loud moans emitted from McGee's speaker.

_Oh no… _Ziva and Tony thought at the same time.


	4. The Fundamentals

**The Fundamentals **

Tony licked the coffee froth from his lips as he stared at Ziva across the table. She was absently twirling a curl of hair around her finger as she twiddled the pen in her hand. There was a cross word in from of her and she was looking at it, but none of the numbers made sense to her, and the black and white boxes just melded into a grey blur.

"What are you thinking?" Tony asked, peering over his mug.

Ziva dropped her pen as she was pulled out of her daze.

"I beg your pardon?" Her brown eyes focused on Tony, an apologetic smile on her face.

"I just wondered what you were thinking," he replied, taking another sip of his hot drink. Ziva's smile dropped slightly, changing into a pensive frown.

"I was thinking about what you said before to McGee," Tony stopped blowing tiny bubbles into his milky brew.

_O-Oh. Should have seen this coming. Should have kept my big mouth shut. _He shifted warily in his chair.

"Yeah…?"

"Yeah what, Tony?" She picked up her pen and began to look intently at her puzzle.

"Welll, I… Uh." He mumbled from behind his cup.

"Tony, I answered your question. It does not require further detail." As she scratched in a word she inattentively told Tony. "I was just thinking about what you said. That's all I was doing. I was not seeking an explanation, or a confession, or an excuse."

"Oh."

Tony relaxed into the backrest of his chair and closed his eyes. He slid his foot under the table and rested it beside Ziva's, feeling the warmth that she radiated. The moment was comfortable, their feelings uncomplicated. At that moment they knew where they stood with each other. Mutual feelings and a basic understanding of what they felt for one and other.

The cafeteria was quite, and there were only a few other agents at some tables far away. Ziva slipped her hand under the table, and ran her fingers along the side of Tony's leg, her face impassive. The cheap outdoor furniture Tony was sitting on creaked loudly as leaned deeper into his chair. He smiled coyly.

Then the back legs of the chair snapped, and Tony flipped backwards, sending his and Ziva's coffee flying, and over turning the table.

Ziva began to laugh heartily. Her face began to turn red as she gasped for air, and she dogged the table and spilt coffee to give him a hand up. But her arms were weak from laughing so hard, and when Tony pulled at her he only succeeded in pulling Ziva down on top of him. This made them both laugh. They scrambled to their feet, getting in each others way, and began to brush the dirt from the floor off them selves. Tony grabbed some napkins from the neighbouring table and mopped the now luke warm coffee form his white shirt.

"Forget the shirt Tony, I will only pull it off you in a few moments," Ziva whispered to him as she up righted the table, so that no one could hear. Tony grinned and stopped his attempts to stop the stains setting in. He threw the soggy napkins in the bin as he walked towards the exit, Ziva in tow.

It was the end of the day, so when they reached the parking lot it was almost empty. The sky had become dark with swollen and bruised clouds and splotches of rain drenched the couple as they ran to the car. They slammed the doors, out of breath, and the windows began to fog up from their sudden warmth.

Tony peeled his soaking coffee stained shirt and threw it into the back seat. Following suit Ziva unbuttoned her shirt revealing her new black lace lingerie. She pulled her hair tie out and freed her wet dark locks, and turned to look at Tony with a large smile on her face. For a moment they grinned at each other, until Ziva reached into her bag and pulled out a singlet. Tony's smile dropped and looked at Ziva with puppy-dog eyes.

"Do you have to?" Tony asked, pouting.

Ziva shook her head as she slid the top over her head.

"Tony, we will be sitting in traffic. People will see me."

"I thought you were not embarrassed by people seeing you like that."

"I am not, Tony. But I do not willing show all my skin. If I was dressed as I am now, back home, I would be arrested." She tugged the singlet straight and put her seatbelt on. "Come on Tony, let us leave."

The shine came back into Tony's eye as he started the ignition. They left the NCIS car park and pulled onto the highway. Rain pelted against the windows and the wipers squeaked in its frenzied effort to keep the windscreen clear.

Tony glanced at Ziva out the corner of his eye, and saw that her wet hair had soaked her singlet too. The white material had become slightly see through, and Tony was reminded of the underwear that she had on underneath, which once he got home would be on the floor.

They hit a wide puddle on the tarmac and the car aquaplaned. The Mac truck they had been following loomed up in front of them. Tony slammed on the brakes and tried to steer out of the way, to no avail. They careered into the back of the Mac truck, and the car melded into the rear doors. The truck's back wheels were pushed into oncoming traffic, dragging them along, so they hurtled along the middle of the highway sidewards. Oncoming traffic slammed into the truck, crushing Tony and Ziva's car.

The air became still, and Ziva's vision swam. She couldn't feel any pain, because she couldn't feel anything. When she couldn't see anymore, and the world disappeared from her awareness, she couldn't understand what had happened. Tony's knees were crushed up against his chest and pushing the air out of his lungs. He gasped for air but none was forthcoming, and he lost consciousness.

Sirens sounded dully in the humid air. The rain was still falling lightly, but the heat from the fire made it turn to steam when it got too close. Gibbs stood in the rain and watched the fire crews attempt to free his agents. Ten minutes before he had seen the Jaws of Life be lugged from a vehicle. He had seen the accident on the news, and recognised Tony's car.

Ziva was pulled from the wreckage, covered in blood. Gibbs didn't even have time to see her, she was whisked away before he could. When Tony had finally been levered from the car, he sat next to him in the ambulance. He could hear the paramedics on the radio. Burns, broken bones, punctured organs, blood loss. Nothing of what Gibbs heard was reassuring. Gibbs bit his lip when he heard the paramedics in Ziva's ambulance.

"We've got the female on oxygen, blood coagulants, the lot. Not much we can do for her now."


	5. Complications

**Complications**

**A/N - I don't know really where I'm going to go from here. It might be the last chapter, but I'll see. If you guys want more you'll have to tell me, and I'll give it a go.**

* * *

Abby burst through the double doors that linked the main hospital to the ER waiting room. Her eyeliner was smudged across her face and nose. Her hair was messy and she looked as though she had just woken up – which she had. She had been asleep when McGee rang her at 3 in the morning. Tim had been up late writing and had the television on in the background. He had also seen the accident on the news.

McGee followed Abby through the pale green doors. He met his boss's eyes and knew it was bad news. Abby ran into Gibbs' arms and began to sob. She wiped her eyes on his jacket, leaving makeup and lipstick smeared across his shoulder.

"It's ok Abs. Shhh." Gibbs murmured, as he stroked her hair.

She pulled away from him and slumped down in a chair. McGee sat down next to her and took her hand. The next few hours passed excruciatingly slowly. At about six one of the double doors that led to theatre opened. A doctor walked out and pulled his blue surgery cap off.

"I'm Dr. Parker. Are you the family of the two highway collisions?" He asked as he approached.

Gibbs stood up.

"Yes. How are Tony and Ziva?"

Dr. Parker scratched the side of his neck.

"Well the male, sorry Tony, had a perforated artery in his right leg. We managed to stop the bleeding, and we set all his broken bones. His chest got a lot of glass in it, because when he crashed he did not have a shirt on. There's a lot of bruising and lacerations, but we expect he should recover well, if a little slowly."

Abby jumped up and clung onto Gibbs' arm. Her eyes wide open and pleading.

"W-what about Ziva?"

"The female? She is still in surgery. Her condition is more critical than… Tony's."

"What do you mean? Don't you know?" Abby was about to shake the man to pieces, but was held back by Gibbs.

"I was not her surgeon, I just looked in a moment ago. She still has at least two hours in theatre to go. When the truck rolled, the hardest part of the truck, the doors, landed on the passenger side. She also suffered some very serious burns from the fire."

Abby dropped back into her chair, ready to cry even more, but she couldn't. She didn't have any more to cry. So she looked up at Dr. Parker again.

"And?"

"I can't tell you anymore. I just don't know. But I will make sure that when I find out anything about her condition, I will let you know." He bowed his head slightly and walked down the long corridor and out of sight.

The woman in the Nurses Station leaned over her counter.

"Excuse me, Mr. Gibbs? Mr. DiNozzo has been transferred to ICU. You may go and see him now. He will be unconscious for a while, but if you would like to you may sit in his room."

She held out a slip of paper. The three of them stood at the same time, and walked to the nurse. McGee took the slip of paper and read the room number. He inclined his head in the direction they had to go.

"Come on McGee!" Abby tugged at his sleeve. "We have to go see Tony now. Hurry up!"

He took her hand and led her down the corridor.

"Uh, Mr. Gibbs?" Gibbs watched McGee and Abby disappeared through the doors. He sighed.

"Yes?"

"You are listed as Ms. David's next of kin. We need you to sign some forms. She will need to be in ICU as well."

"Is it possible for DiNozzo and David to be put in the same room?" He asked as he signed his name.

"Yes, sir. I can do that."

"Thank you. Is that all?"

She nodded and took the papers away.

* * *

Tony opened his eyes with difficulty. Something was pulling his skin taught. His vision came into focus and saw Abby hovering over him. He tried to smile, but the same tightness of his skin stopped him.

"Don't move, Tony. I'll get a nurse."

She ran out of the room, and she was replaced by a concerned and angry looking Gibbs, if such a look was possible.

"Hey Boss." He said hoarsely.

"What happened, Tony?"

"I, uh, was driving back to my house. It was raining. I lost control when I hit water. There was a truck. Ziva was… Oh my god, Ziva. Where is she? How is she?" Franticly he tried to get up and look around, but he recoiled in pain.

"God, what did I do to her?"

Gibbs looked sideways at McGee. Tony followed his gaze and saw McGee shrug.

"We don't know. She isn't out of surgery yet."

Tony went slack in his bed. He swore under his breath.

Abby re-entered the room behind the nurse.

"Hello Tony, how are you feeling?" She asked in soothing voice.

"I hurt all over. What did I do? Why is my face stiff?"

"You've got some burns on you face, and a lot of scratches. Try not to move too much, you have a badly damage artery in your leg. You chest got lots of glass in it. Why weren't you wearing a shirt?"

"Yeah Tony," McGee piped up, "Why?"

"I uh, got wet. It was raining when we ran to the car. Where is Ziva?"

"She is out of surgery, and she is in the lift as we speak."

The sound of the elevator at the end of the ward echoed. Her gurney squeaked into the ward. She was almost completely covered in bandages and both her legs were in plaster. Her bed was put within arms reach of Tony's. He looked down at his own legs and saw one heavily bandaged and the other in plaster.

"She… she's worse than I am."

The nurse thinned her lips, unsure of how to answer.

"She has a lot of internal bleeding."

"Then why the bandages?"

"The gas tank in the truck exploded, and she was very badly burnt."

"Will she be ok?" Tony began to feel hot in the face, and felt hot tears splash down his cheeks.

The nurse reached for Tony's IV bag and injected a sedative. She turned to Gibbs, Abby and McGee.

"It might be best if you went home for a while and get some sleep. They won't wake up for at least ten hours."

McGee nodded and led Abby out of the ward.

"Come on, I'll take you home."

Abby sniffed as she pulled Gibbs along with her.

* * *

Ziva woke up, a dull throbbing in her stomach bringing her around. Images flooded her mind; the rain, a shirtless Tony, the crash. She tried to roll over but she couldn't, plaster and material held her still. She could just turn her head, and saw in the bed next to her was Tony.

"Tony!"

His eyes snapped open.

"Ziva! You're awake! I'll get the nurse." He pressed the button on the side of his bed. A moment later a nurse ran in.

"Hello Ziva. Are you in any pain?" The nurse asked as she examined Ziva's heavily bandaged face.

"No. I feel… numb."

"That's how you will feel for a while. It is the painkillers that we have you on. Do you feel up to talking for a little? There are some important things we need to talk to you about."

"I think I will be able to manage."

"Now some of these questions are personal, and relate to both of you."

Tony tuned in and looked at the nurse.

"From what I understand from your friends, the two of you have had a sexual relationship?"

"Yes, but I do not know why this is important."

"Is Tony the only person you have been sleeping with in the past few months?"

Tony looked over and saw Ziva nod.

"OK. Ziva, did you know you are about four weeks pregnant?"

Tony's jaw dropped open. Ziva's face remained impassive. She knew that these questions were leading somewhere else.

"No."

"In the accident you suffered some serious injuries to your abdomen. We don't know yet, but it is very likely that the foetus was injured as well. We won't know for sure until we do an ultrasound, but it is very unlikely you will be able to go to term and have a healthy baby. The development of a foetus could also be seriously dangerous for you, as your injuries won't heal quickly. You have a lot of options, but not a lot of time."

Ziva looked over at Tony, who slipped his hands through the railing on his bed and grasped her hand. They stared at each other, terrified.

* * *


	6. Disturbed Sleep

**Disturbed Sleep**

**A/N - I apologise in advance for details I have probably gotten wrong to do with surgery, my only medical knowledge comes from TV. I want to shout out a thanks to Cohen M. for pointing out the stupid and unforgivable misspelling of Mossad. Not too many chapters to go, but don't hold your breath - I still don't know where this is going. Thanks for the reviews so far - I would love to hear from the people who have 'story alerted' this to let me know why they did. Happy reading!**

The ultrasound gel stung Ziva's nose, even though it had been over an hour since the nurse had wiped it from her stomach. Having the cold metal machine scrape over her scabbed stomach had hurt Ziva badly. Through her new bandages she could see the blood begin to seep into the cotton padding. She could not feel the sharp pains in her skin, but the painkillers were beginning to wear off, and she could still feel the dull ache inside her abdomen.

Tony watched his partner intently. He counted and timed each rise and fall of her chest, and each time she held her breath, he would reach for the nurse call button, afraid something was wrong. But every time he reached out, she would catch up with her breathing, and Tony would fall back into his pillows to start counting again.

Eventually Tony drifted off into a fit-full sleep. His soft snores filled the quiet room and drifted into the hallway. The night nurse smiled to herself and turned to her companion.

"He is finally asleep. Is this the first night we haven't had to sedate him?"

The other nurse nodded without turning away from her screen. She was unconcerned about the couple in the ICU. They were her only patients, and at the moment they stood between her and her warm bed at home.

"I'm going on break." She dropped her glasses onto the keyboard.

"OK Nicky. I'll page you if we have any issues."

Nicky rolled her eyes and trotted down the silent hallway. The remaining nurse adjusted her collar on her dress and leant on the doorway, drifting off into her own world.

Ziva groaned, so quietly it was almost inaudible, but Tony woke with a start. He tried to sit up and see why her sleep was suddenly disturbed, but his ribs protested in pain. His eyes adjusted slowly to the dark room. Shadows were cast by the curtains, shielding the room from the bright and almost-full moon. The bed sheets covering Ziva revealed only a vague outline of her rigid body, her tractioned legs held awkwardly above the bed. Tony flicked the bedside lamp on and saw Ziva's face contorted with pain.

"Ziva?" He whispered worriedly.

He grabbed the cords hanging above his bed and pulled himself up, ignoring the stabbing pains in his torso. Spreading across the top of Ziva's legs was a pool of blood.

"Nurse," Tony tried to yell, but his voice was stuck in his throat. "Nurse!"

Releasing his hold on the cords he dropped back onto his bed and franticly grabbed the call button. He jammed his finger on the button repeatedly and broke the cable. The night nurse appeared at the door and flipped the light switch, illuminating the whole room.

"What now, Ton…"

"Ziva!"

The nurse looked over and saw the crimson sheets. She hit the emergency switch on the wall beside her and dashed to Ziva's bed. She pressed her cool fingers to Ziva's throat, who recoiled suddenly at her touch. The nurse jumped a little at her patient's response, she should have been heavily sedated.

"Nicky?!" She yelled as she threw the soggy red sheet from the bed. Leaning over Ziva, the nurse pulled the hospital gown up past Ziva's stomach to find the source of the bleeding. She looked over her shoulder at Tony.

"Did you see anything? Did she come to?"

Tony tried to speak but his mouth refused to work. He managed to splutter out a few audible words.

"She groaned. And her face was scrunched – she was hurting."

Tony was in the awful position of someone who was watching a train crash about to happen, and he was unable to do anything. He tried to pull himself up to see Ziva's face, but his view was blocked by the nurse. The other nurse ran into the room. She took one short glance and ran back out. She skidded on the smooth tiles as she reached for the phone over the counter. She punched in the code for the main nursing station.

"Doctor Parker is needed in the ICU, ASAP. Send the ER doctor to ICU now and have surgery prepped. Priority level one." She slammed the receiver down into its cradle and ran back into the room.

"She's bleeding from her abdomen, most probably her uterus. Tony said she had woken up and was in pain. The sedatives and pain killers must have stopped working. She probably has built up an immunity, so we need to use gas if we can get her into theatre." The younger nurse reported as she pulled the side barriers up on the bed.

She systematically pulled the IV bags from their stand and attached them to the bed. Ziva groaned as she tried to move again.

"Ziva? Can you hear me? Squeeze my hand if you can hear me."

A slight pressure was applied to the nurse's hand as Ziva tried to twist out of the traction holding her legs off the bed. They sped around the corridor towards the elevator.

"Ziva – try not to move. You're bleeding from the inside and if you move too much you could damage yourself even more." Nicky puffed in a no-nonsense tone.

Ziva's face twisted in agony as she stopped rolling. It took all her self control to not curl up into a ball, in a futile yet instinctual attempt to stop the debilitating pain in her belly. Her mind raced with jumbled thoughts.

_It's my baby, something is wrong with my baby… why does it hurt so much… where is Tony… I want Tony… _

They rolled into the elevator, and the familiar sounds of lift doors closing rung through Ziva's mind. Her thoughts became warped from her blood loss, and she lost track of reality.

_Where is Tony? He will make the pain stop. Maybe he will take me down stairs to see Ducky. I hope Gibbs is not angry at us. I know he said he was OK with Tony and I, but he could be lying. I wish I was at Tony's right now. I miss him, and his touch._

As the elevator stopped its descent, the nurse looked at Ziva's expression. Pain was still etched across her face, but it was more distant, as though she was somewhere else, or just having a bad dream. They rolled noisily towards the big double-hinged doors that led to the operating theatre, and the sounds of water pipes pumping echoed through the walls. The surgeon was already in there, scrubbing up for Ziva's surgery.

They burst into the cold and impersonal room, and Ziva was slid onto the sterile operating table. Her entire gown, now with blood soaked halfway up her torso, was completely removed to be replaced by a green surgical cloth. The doctor backed through the doors, followed by two more green clad assistants. Large bags of blood were hooked up beside Ziva, and her IV tubes pulled out and replaced by larger ones. A gas mask covered Ziva's face and she could vaguely hear someone tell her to count backwards from thirty.

"OK people, first priority stop the bleeding, and save her. Work around the foetus. I need her ultrasound pictures to see where the perforations are. Number two scalpel."

The doctor commanded through his mask, as he wiped Ziva's abdomen with the sterilising solution.

Ziva saw the scalpel glean in the doctor's hand as she succumbed to the gas and fell back into sleep.

Tony lay helplessly in bed. He was frozen in terror. His partner – his girlfriend and child – were dying, and he could do nothing except wait. Pain pulsated through his rib cage, a mixture of his broken bones angrily replying to his movements and his heart thudding inside his chest. He snatched the phone from the bedside table and poised his finger above the buttons. But who would he ring. It didn't matter that it was the middle of the night, anyone he rang would come in a second, but Tony didn't know who he wanted. Abby would worry and cry, Gibbs would be no comfort.

Tony's brain delivered the answer. His fingers flew to his friend's number and he waited anxiously.

_Pick up the phone, come on, wake up._

"Hello Timothy speaking," the speaker answered wearily on the other end of the phone line.

"McGee, it's Tony."

"Tony? Why are you calling, it's the middle of the night!" He sounded mildly grumpy, but he was still not awake enough to be angry.

"McGee, it's Ziva. Can you come to the hospital? I… I can't wait this out on my own."

"Oh god, what's wrong?"

"She started bleeding. A lot. I think it's the baby. She's in surgery. McGee… I'm scared. I don't want to lose her."

* * *


	7. With The Trash

**Disclaimer – Honestly I won't even pretend I own NCIS. **

**A/N – Thanks to all the reviews, sorry it has taken so long to update, I haven't been very inspired. I have another chapter or two coming soon, depends on if I get distracted, but I have developed a vague plan. **

"Does it hurt much?" McGee tugged lightly at Tony's bandaged arm.

"Not really. I'm too dosed up to notice," Tony mumbled wearily. The sedative he had been given was slowing his thoughts. "Thanks for coming, Probie."

McGee sighed upon hearing Tony's stupid name for him, but let it pass. Something else was bothering him.

"Why did you call me? You're much closer to Abby, Gibbs, even Ducky. Why didn't you call one of them?"

"I dunno, McGee. Out of all the others, you're the one I always notice hanging on when things get shitty. You care, but you don't lose it. And you're predictable. I could use a constant right now." Tony's eyelids blinked shut, and he began to mumble. "Can you promise me something, McGee?"

"Maybe, as long as it's legal and doesn't require a lot of money."

Tony snorted weakly, and breathed in hard.

"Can you just stay here, don't go? I want to know some one will be here watching me, and waiting for when I wake up. I don't want to be alone. I don't want to be by myself in this place, like Ziva is." Tony sniffed, but it didn't stop a tear from leaking out from under his eyelid.

"Sure Tony, I promise. I'll be here." He leant onto the side of Tony's mattress, so Tony could feel his weight.

"Thanks, McGee." Tony whispered as he fell away into the darkness of sleep.

McGee rested his head on his hands, and looked Tony up and down, taking in all his injuries. The bandages on his chest had tiny dots of blood soaking through, and his plaster made his leg look three times bigger than normal. Bruises had started to form all over his body, and in the dim light of the room, Tony looked like a black and white mummy.

The hours slipped by in silence, occasionally disturbed by Tony waking up for a few seconds and asking for Ziva. McGee would whisper some reassuring words and Tony would fall back into his pillow, straight back to sleep.

Just when the sun began to invade the room through the gaps in the blinds, the elevator opened on their floor, and Ziva was rolled in through the door. McGee stood up quickly, disturbing Tony. He woke up and looked around. He watched the nurses hooked the IV bags up and connected her to a heart rate monitor. Reaching out, Tony found McGee's arm and gripped it tightly.

A doctor still dressed in scrubs entered the room and turned to McGee and Tony.

"How is she, how's Ziva?" Tony asked desperately, still dopey from the sedatives.

"The surgery went well, we managed to stop the bleeding. She lost a lot of blood, which will make the healing process longer, but I am confident she will make a good recovery." The doctor answered.

"A good recovery… Don't you doctors usually say they'll make a _full_ recovery?" Tony pulled himself up to look the doctor straight on. He wobbled slightly and nearly fell back down, but McGee caught him and they both stared at the doctor, confused.

"Ziva suffered massive trauma, and the bleeding caused some complications. Physically, she will probably return to how she was before, but it will take a long time."

"What is the other thing, that isn't physical?"

The doctor looked at his notes on the clipboard.

"During the surgery, in order to stop the bleeding in her uterus, and essentially keep her alive, we had to remove the foetus. The damage caused by the impact had severed the food and oxygen supply, and the foetus had already died. That sort of mental trauma can also slow the healing process, and we don't know how much by."

Tony sagged, his shoulders fell forward and dropped his head.

"I am sorry to tell you this Mr. DiNozzo. We won't be able to release that information to any one else, but as you were the father…"

Tony didn't hear the rest. His ears rang, and his head spun. McGee lay him back down again and felt Tony's grip on his arm loosen. The doctor leaned over and checked Tony's heartbeat, and watched his vitals on the monitor. When he was satisfied Tony's reaction wasn't medical, he left the room.

McGee sat silently, and watched Tony's heart break. He could almost see Tony turn grey, lose hope, and lose faith. There was nothing either of them could do.

"Tony?" A weak voice broke the dead silence.

"Ziva?" Tony's eye's snapped open.

"What happened?" Tony sat bolt upright and saw Ziva's eyes flicker. He pushed the bar on the side of his bed down and slid onto the chair. He ignored the stabbing pains in his legs as he put weight on them, his casts slipping on the smooth floor.

"Ziva, you're OK." He smiled feebly, and tears slid down his face.

"Why are you crying?" She tenderly raised her bandaged hand to his face, and wiped beneath his eyes.

"I'm not crying, Ziva." He tried to straighten his face.

"Tony…" Ziva told him knowingly.

"I'm sorry. I am so sorry. I want to fix it, but I can't." Tony's voice began to waver.

"Shhhh."

Behind them McGee crept out of the room, giving them their privacy. Ziva's other hand slid down her gown and felt the think wad of bandages over her abdomen.

"T-Tony?" Ziva stammered. "What went wrong? W-What happened?"

"You started bleeding. They took you into surgery. I'm sorry Ziva, it's my fault." He held her hand softly and wept into her bandage. "The baby, it died."

Ziva closed her eyes, her worst fear confirmed. She turned away from Tony, and could help but feel a twinge of hatred towards him. Blaming him was the easiest thing to do.

"So, what you are telling me is, that you killed our child? Is that what you are saying?"

Ziva gulped. Tony recoiled at her harsh words, and placed her hand back on the bed. He wiped his nose with his sleeve and replied.

"I- I guess so." With this confession he crawled back onto his bed and cowered under his sheet. Ziva breathed heavily, a hateful expression etched across her face.

"So they threw my baby out, with the trash." She hissed at Tony, fingering the bandages covering her belly. "I never had a chance to see it."

She reached for the nurse call button on the side of her bed and pressed the red button vehemently. A nurse appeared by her side in seconds and began to check Ziva's vitals. Ziva whispered something to the nurse that Tony could not hear, and the nurse nodded and began to take down Ziva's IV bags. Another nurse entered the room and unplugged the monitors. Slowly Ziva was wheeled out of the room in front of a bewildered Tony. Tony tried to catch her eye, but Ziva turned away and faced the other way.

McGee returned and sat beside Tony.

"Why did they take her out of here? Why did they put her in the next room?"

"I think she asked to be moved." Tony replied shakily from underneath the white blanket.

"Why would she…?" McGee paused, as Tony's quivering voice finally registered. "Never mind. You ok?"

Tony grunted in reply, not really giving an answer, but McGee took the hint and closed his mouth. Again they sat in silence for a long time, and were disturbed much later by the ward doctor.

"Tony, I have some good news for you. You are being released tomorrow. We will give you some prescription painkillers, and give you a wheel chair. I am satisfied that your perforated artery won't open up again, but to be on the safe side I will bandage that up a little differently. There isn't anything keeping you here so we'll send you home." The man smiled warmly, with a perfect bedside manner. Tony didn't reply, so McGee answered.

"That's great. Thanks."

"Will you be taking him home?"

"I guess. Will he have to stay with someone?" McGee looked at Tony.

"I would recommend it. Or at least have some one stay with him until he gets on to crutches." McGee sighed and thanked the doctor, who left the room with a swish of his white coat.

"What do you think Tony? Do you want to stay at my place, or shall I camp at your place for a while?" He asked as he shook Tony's arm gently.

"What ever, I don't care," came Tony's muffled reply.

"Well, we'll go to my place, your place has stairs every where, but I have a lift. How does that sound?"

"Fine." Tony rolled over, ending what little conversation they had going.


	8. Roof Top

**A/N - Thanks to those people who read the first version of this chapter and told me enough was enough. I hope this makes things a bit more positive, I am happier with this chapter now. **

Abby rushed around McGee's apartment, rearranging furniture so there was a clear path from the door to the television to the bedroom and to the bathroom.

"McGee! Where can I put this coffee table? It takes up too much space," she called into the kitchen.

"Can't you just push it against the wall? I need to have a table in there," he replied. He was sitting in his kitchen, writing a list of things Tony would need. Abby poked her head through the door.

"When will you go to Tony's?" she asked, her black hair falling messily out of its ponytail.

"I was just about to leave. Why?"

"Can you drop me home? It's on the way. Tony will be ok for a little while."

McGee looked at the paper in front of him, racking his brain for anything he had forgotten.

"You'll remember it if you see it, you know. But I don't think you would have forgotten anything, you never do," Abby grinned. She was so happy that her beloved Tony was on the mend. McGee folded the paper up and slipped it into his pocket.

"Ok, I'll just tell Tony." He walked down the hall to where his guest bedroom, now Tony's room, was. The door was closed so he called through it; Tony had asked to not be bothered. "Abby and I are going now. I'm just going to your place to get some of your stuff, ok?"

Tony didn't reply, so McGee went to open the door. Abby's hand fell onto top of his, and she put her finger to her lips.

"Don't bother him; we'll leave a note for him." She scribbled on a piece of paper next to the phone and poked it under the door. "He'll find it. He's probably asleep, and you'll get back before he wakes up."

They quietly closed McGee's apartment door, and locked it behind them. The guest bedroom door opened, and Tony wheeled out, glancing about. His face was grey, and shone from smudged tears. He read the note as he rolled over it and pressed his lips together.

"Now or never, DiNozzo." He muttered to himself. Slowly he navigated through the apartment and out into the hall with the elevator. Still wrapped in his dressing gown he jabbed at the up button. The lift doors opened smoothly and he rolled in.

A blast of cool air hit Tony as the door opened again, and he could see the streets below. He rolled to the edge of the rooftop garden and looked out across the suburb. Putting his hands on the concrete wall, Tony shifted himself from his wheelchair to the very edge of the roof. He hung his plastered legs over the edge and sniffled. The miserable weather was the same as the day of the accident.

"You're right Ziva, it was my fault," he muttered.

He bent over and gazed down the side of the building. Five stories up, there was nothing in the way, not even fire escapes. The side walk below was empty, no one ever walked on days like this. Rain was one of the best excuses to get in your car and drive to work. Tony sat still and allowed his dressing gown to get fat with water, leaching into his bones, seeping into his bandages and plaster. He knocked the brick wall with his cast and a chunk fell off, speeding into the ground. With morbid interest, Tony watched its impact into the ground, and saw it explode into a white cloud of dust, leaving a star pattern on the grey path.

"Hi Gibbs," He said loudly, without turning around.

"How did you know I was here?" Gibbs asked as he sat beside Tony, facing the other way.

"You're predictable, I'm predictable." He muttered. "Actually, to tell you the truth, I can see your car parked over at the park. And you don't walk as quietly as you think."

Gibbs smiled, in that sadly amused way he did when something was ironic.

"So you really are going to do it? Jump?"

"Gibbs, I can hardly jump in my condition. But I wasn't going to jump. That's not going to solve anything. I know that." He mushed his face in his hands and rubbed his eyes, stretching his mouth at the same time in an attempt to wake his mind up.

"Then why are you here?" Gibbs leaned over and faced Tony.

"I don't know. I think I needed the fresh air. It was too stuffy in there." Tony swung his leg back over the wall and slouched over. "Do you think she really meant that? Ziva, did she really mean that she hated me?"

Gibbs wrapped his arm over Tony's shoulder and pulled him closer, with a fatherly comfort.

"Not for a second. She'll get through this, Tony; you just have to help her."

He patted Tony on the back and stood up. After retrieving the wheelchair Gibbs helped Tony off the wall and wheeled him out of the rain.

McGee's apartment was warm and comforting, and Tony relaxed in the soft sofa. For a while the pair sat quietly, the television making enough noise to distract them from their thoughts. The door opened and McGee entered, who jumped at seeing his boss in his lounge room. With a second glance he noticed that they both were soaking wet.

"Uhm, hello? What's going on?" Asked a bewildered McGee.

Gibbs looks over at Tony who replied;

"Nothing, we were just watching TV." It was clear that he wasn't going to tell, so McGee changed tact.

"I let you into my house, and you go and repay me by sitting on my chairs when you're wet? You'll ruin my furniture!" McGee exclaimed half-heartedly. "Off, get off."

Tony was pulled from his cosy hole and thrust into his chair. Gibbs stood and shrugged apologetically to McGee, who was already pushing Tony down the hall.

"Change into something dry. If you get sick, Abby will shoot me," Tim demanded, sounding as though he was Tony's mother. After he roughly shut the door, Tim crossed his arms and looked at Gibbs.

"I know it's none of my business," he said when he saw the disapproving expression on his boss's face. "The hospital called, by the way. Ziva was asking for you."

Gibbs nodded and headed for the door.

"Thank you for coming," Ziva said to Gibbs as he sat down beside her.

She was sitting up, and most of the bandages on her face and arms had been removed.

"You are looking much better," Gibbs observed.

"I feel better as well. I do not like sedatives, I react badly to them. The nurse told me this morning that my burns are not as serious as they first thought. It was difficult to tell, a lot happened in a very short amount of time, they did not have the chance to look closely. She said; it is very much like bad sun burn." She smiled. Gibbs was the first person she had talked to properly, and it was comforting to know she could talk freely.

"How is Tony? I know he was discharged, but how is he coping?" Her smile faded and was replaced with a concerned frown.

"He's OK." Gibbs didn't want to impose his opinion on their relationship.

"I said terrible things to him, Gibbs. I blamed him for this. But it was not his fault." She went to continue, but she was gently cut off.

"He does blame himself, yes, Ziva. But that is just part of feeling responsible for you. When you love some one as much as Tony loves you, even if you aren't even remotely responsible, you still believe it's your fault." Gibbs glanced down at his hands.

"Is that how you felt about Kelly and Shannon?" Ziva asked tentatively.

"I still do."

This confession scared Ziva. It made her wonder if Tony would end up just like Gibbs - alone and with a half built boat under his house.

"But Tony has got you, you know? He won't end up like me," he joked, reading Ziva's mind.

Ziva held out her arms and awkwardly hugged Gibbs. When she pulled away her eyes were red, and she wiped her nose cautiously.

"Thank you, Gibbs. Can you please do me one more favour?"

"Of course."

"Can you please send Tony in? He has been sitting out in the corridor for ages."

* * *


	9. Candy Talker

**Sorry for the long wait, it took me a long time to figure out how to write this chapter. Thanks for all the reviews, please leave some more!**

* * *

Tony inched his way into Ziva's ward. He was wary of being around her, still unsure of her feelings towards him.

"Hello, Tony," Ziva greeted him, as she reached for his hand. Tony allowed her to pull his hand onto the bed to rest on her hip. With a soft smile etched across her face, she examined his fingers for a moment, running her fingers lightly over his.

"I did not mean what I said, Tony. I do not hate you. There was no one to blame, and what I said was in the hot of the moment." Tony grinned, like he did every time Ziva misquoted a western colloquialism.

"_Heat_ of the moment," he blurted. Cheekily, he bit his tongue, showing he regretted interrupting. Ziva rolled her eyes as her smile broadened.

"Yes, that is what I said," she stubbornly replied, even though both of them knew full well she had not. She suddenly turned more serious. "I do not like making excuses, nor do I like making apologies," She tilted her head to the side thoughtfully, "usually because I do not make mistakes that leave some one alive, but I will try now. I _am_ sorry for the way I behaved."

"Don't worry about, Zi, I didn't believe you for a moment," Tony leaned over and kissed her fingers.

Ziva wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed the top of his head. Wriggling down in his chair a bit, Tony snuggled into the crook of her arms, and they shared one sweet moment of comfort with one and other. Ziva turned her head over, brushing her nose through Tony's short brown hair. She paused for a second, and then lightly yet firmly pushed Tony away.

"Did you use Abby's shampoo?" Her eyes wide with disbelief.

Blood rushed to his cheeks as he turned to face her.

"No…" he denied, as he tried to suppress a smile.

"Ahah!" Ziva pointed a stern finger at him; a grin crept across her lips as well. "You looked down and to the left – a sure sign of a liar."

They grinned sillily at each other, until a thought crossed Tony's mind.

"I did use Abby's shampoo, but what was it doing in McGee's bathroom?" He raised his eyebrows and pursed his lips cheekily.

A nurse interrupted them by knocking on the door.

"Sorry to interrupt, but it's time for your obs, Ziva." She said kindly. Tony removed himself from Ziva's grasp as the nurse reached to attach the blood-pressure bandage to her arm.

"And how are you feeling this morning, Ziva?" The nurse asked cheerily.

"Much better, thankyou. I think that a bandage has come loose around my middle, though."

"OK, we'll just check that out. Would you like a curtain drawn for privacy?"

Ziva shook her head. The nurse pulled her patient's gown up to reveal a heavily bandaged abdomen. Corners of the tape that held the ends down were tugged and strands pulled up, all the while the nurse hummed to herself.

"The swelling has gone down, that's why it is feeling a bit loose, but we'll leave it on for one more day. Then we can swap the bandage for a smaller dressing. Are you ok with that?" The nurse asked as she checked the rest of Ziva's bandaged parts.

"Yes, of course. What ever needs to be done."

"Well you tell me if it starts to make you uncomfortable, and I'll be right in to fix it." The nurse nodded happily as she spoke and scribbled on her chart. She noticed Tony has rolled away from the bed further than he meant, and gave him a kind push towards Ziva as she left the room. Ziva took Tony's hand in hers once again.

"Tony, can we have a serious talk." Her eyes were big and pleading.

"Sure. About what?" He shifted in his wheelchair and set his jaw, looking straight into Ziva's eyes. He could feel her Mossad lie detection and interrogation methods fall away, leaving a truly concerned woman to ask questions.

"Where is it that we stand now, Tony?"

"Well, it depends. Do you mean personally or professionally?"

"Personally. Do you still love me, like you did before?"

"Yes."

Tony held her hand in between his reassuringly.

"What will we do now? We cannot continue as we did before."

"Why not?" Tony raised his eyebrows to create his long-perfected puppy-dog look.

"Tony, look at me." She traced her free hand up and down her body. "Look at all of me. It will not be the same."

"You are right, it won't be the same," he murmured, as he started kissing her hand, and slowly working his way up her arm to her neck. When he finally reached her ear, he whispered, "It will be better. I have been stuck by myself with out the lady I love. Stuck in my own bed… alone. The things I have dreamt up to keep you in my bed when I get you there."

"You are such a candy talker," she whispered jokingly when she pulled his lips from her neck. She kissed him softly, holding his chin up with the tips of her fingers.

"It's…. _sweet_…. talker… actually…" Tony managed to correct her in between short breaths.

"Stop… correcting… me…" Words managed to escape her lips as they pressed harder against Tony's. Ziva's heart pounded, he had forgiven her, and he loved her. Her heart beat quickened, and it showed – the monitor beside her bed displayed the once displayed green numbers for her heart rate had slowly changed to red, sending an alert to the Nurses station.

The ward nurse hurried into Ziva's room, concerned about the sudden increase in her heart rate. She had been reading the monitor beside the bed as she rushed into the room, and only realised what she had interrupted once she reached Tony's side.

"Ohh.." she blushed, her pink face made even brighter by her white clothes. "Sorry."

Tony turned to the nurse and grinned.

"You're just saying that. Don't be shy – you can join us," he wriggled his eyebrows cheekily.

Ziva gasped with pretend shock, and slapped him on the arm lightly. The nurse bit her top lip as she hurried out of the ward, the colour still rising in her cheeks. Tony shrugged light heartedly.

"Oh well, her loss. Now, where were we?" He guided Ziva's hand around his waist and wrapped the other around her neck, gently pulling her into a deep kiss.

* * *

**This is probably the last chapter. An epilogue may be forthcoming, but I haven't decided yet. Or if you desperately want more… I might be able to think something up :D Thanks for all the reviews. **


	10. Epilogue

**Well here it is. The end. I hope you enjoy. Thankyou to all my readers, I appreciate your kind words of encouragement and helpful improvements. **

"You're an idiot, you know that?"

Tony nodded goofily, his chin touching his neck then rising to face the roof.

"And it took you until now to figure that out, Ziva?"

Ziva took her hands away from the keyboard of her computer and brushed away the tiny paper balls that littered her desk. She rested her chin on her hands coyly and smiled with a raised eyebrow.

"No. I have known it all along. I just have to repeat it to you often, so you get the photograph."

It was Tony's turn to raise his brow.

"Picture! I meant picture," Ziva shook her head and threw her arms about. "And I said picture, as that is what I meant." She stopped flailing and pointed her finger at him menacingly, her eyes narrowed. But she struggled to stop her smile from spreading across her face.

"Yes, Ziva. That is the man who stole your underwear from your washing line." McGee walked between the two of them on the way to his desk, grinning.

"I put them back! I swear!" Tony threw his hands up in mock surrender.

Ziva slowly stood up and examined the man sitting in front of her. She sauntered over to him and leaned on his desk. Small shiny patches under his left eye and bottom lip were the only evidence of the burns that had covered his face just over a year ago. Ziva traced her finger down Tony's jaw line and held his chin in her thumb and forefinger. Tony smiled softly, closing his eyes with content.

"Either stop that or go home, you two. Keep it separate," Gibbs marched to his desk, with his ever present cup of coffee.

"Home!" The pair echoed, with smiles of relief. It had been a hard day for both of them. It had taken a long time to get back to work, and an even longer time to be able to get back into the field. Tony flipped his bag over his shoulder and offered Ziva his arm. She took it gracefully and they made their way to the elevator.

Gibbs watched their departure with concern, taking in their limps and the one light-weight crutch that Tony still walked with. He did not rely on the support anymore, but the added security and balance it gave Tony was invaluable. A week before Tony had attempted to walk with out it for the day and had ended up on the floor eight times, once for trying to jump the last step on the orange staircase.

As the elevator doors closed Gibbs sighed. He wished things would hurry up and go back to the way they were before.

Ziva put her legs up on the futon and laid her head on Tony's lap. She looked around their new apartment and vaguely wondered if she liked the wall colour. They had decided they would move in together, in an apartment on ground level with no stairs, in a flat part of town far away from any large highways.

Decorating their new home had kept them occupied for the months they had to sit in Tony's apartment rather than working.

Tony looked down at Ziva. They hadn't considered each other as a girl friend or boy friend, fiancé or soul mate. They were partners, they weren't sure what in, but that suited them.

He stroked her hair as she drifted off into a light slumber. His eyes drifted to Ziva's waist, where her sweater had risen up. A pale pink scar stretched between her hip bones, standing out against her dark olive skin. He fingered her cheek, rubbing over smooth patches of burn scars then over her powder soft skin.

He couldn't help but still feel guilty every time he looked at her. Each time he looked at her and saw her struggle, there was a horrible reminder in the back of his mind that he had hurt her so.

In Tony's lap, Ziva wriggled down lower into the warmth and comfort of his body. She couldn't help but wonder how things could have been, had she had her child. With this thought her hand wound its way to her hips and lingered on the disfigured flesh above her womb. She had never been a self centred woman, agonising over her looks and body, but never the less, she still felt insecure with her new skin.

"Tony?" She breathed.

Tony emerged from his guilty thoughts and bent over her face to look her in the eyes.

"Yes?"

"Does it still bother you?"

"Which part?"

"Any of it. I want to know how you are feeling."

Tony wrapped a dark curl around his finger and licked his lip, thinking of where he would begin.

"I still think it's my fault. You are so beautiful. I can't believe you do not hate me."

Ziva touched his face and pulled him into a light kiss. She sat up and traced her fingers down his neck and fingered his button. The tip of her finger brushed a tiny scar on his chest.

"Do they bother you? The scars?"

"No. Except for the really big one on my leg. It reminds me of the movie Scarface and the giant bath tub. I don't like big bath tubs. So unsanitary…"

A smile flickered across Ziva's face. Tony never ceased to cause her wonder. How could a man so smart, charming and caring be so obsessed with films?

"Mine bother me. I do not like them. I do not get scars, they are something you cannot get rid of, no matter what you do. I do not like things I cannot get rid of."

"I must be really easy to get rid of. You seem to like me so much," Tony slid down on the lounge so that he lay beside her, their hips touching.

"But harder to get rid of than you think. You see, I have grown rather attached to you, Anthony DiNozzo."

Ziva laced her fingers with his.

"So have I, Ziva David."

"Anthony…" Ziva tucked her head in the crook of his neck and closed her eyes. "Do you still think I am beautiful?"

Tony pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her, and kissed her lightly. His lips brushed her cheek and sent a warmth down her spine. Their legs intertwined and they began to breathe at the same time.

"More than ever. Motherhood becomes you."


End file.
